NVIDIA SHIELD Review - Tegra 4, Android Gaming and PC Game Streaming

The Android Gaming and Miracast Experience

Android gaming is an interesting beast. Much like the iOS store, the Google Play store has dozens if not hundreds of great mobile-based games that are incredibly difficult to find in a marketplace full of crap. Any curation is often done by the community and word of the mouth, but NVIDIA is taking another approach with TegraZone.

By hitting the big NVIDIA logo on your SHIELD you’ll be taken to an NVIDIA specific menu that lists your “SHIELD Games” that already installed as well as access to the “SHIELD Store” that will have games listed for sale (and for free in some cases) that NVIDIA has vetted. This vetting process makes sure that controller support is integrated, and that graphically the game is at least modestly impressive. As of this writing there are 42 different games listed in the SHIELD store ranging from free to $7.99.

Even though I have been an Android user for years, I must admit that my gaming experience on the platform was previously quite limited. As an avid PC gamer I just had a problem with touch screen controllers for nearly every genre of game that I found. With NVIDIA SHIELD, those problems are mostly rectified (as long as the game integrates controller support).

Games like Sonic 4 Episode II translate perfectly to the controller, and I found the experience to be incredibly fun. Real Boxing was not a game that I have much experience with, but the visual quality of the game on SHIELD was impressive to see on the 720p screen. I also played AVP: Evolution (beat-em-up) and Dead Trigger (FPS zombie killing) and had a lot of hours of entertaining with them as well. Re-entering the world of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was also an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

NVIDIA recommended I check out ShadowGun: Dead Zone with SHIELD and there I found an online multiplayer third-person shooter that was free to play with upgrades, perk trees and in-depth design. The idea of a multi-player shooter on an Android device could not have been less appealing to me before SHIELD but with it the game was easy to play and fun.

Another option for gaming with Android is in the world of emulation. Legality discussions aside, the ability to download an SNES, N64 and PS1 emulator from the Play store and then load up some ROMs to play Mario 64, Final Fantasy III or the original Tomb Raider really puts SHIELD in a unique market. There were definitely a couple of hiccups with mapping the controller to the programs, but once those were worked out the gaming capability of the platform were evident.

NVIDIA knows that for SHIELD to be successful, Android gaming needs to be successful and they have been working closely with developers to integrated better graphics technology in their games as well as to integrate proper controller support. I can’t say that every title I have installed from the TegraZone has been met with positive feedback, but the fact that NVIDIA is pushing developers in this direction is great for mobile gaming as a whole.

The Miracast Screen Sharing Experience

Miracast is a WiFi Direct-based technology which creates a wireless display for laptops, PC, tablets and phones. SHIELD integrates Miracast support, and I ordered an Actiontec ScreenBeam device to connect to a TV in our office. There are some TVs on the market that already support Miracast with an external device, but they are few and far between.

Setup of Miracast with SHIELD is a simple pairing process with a code that needs to be input much like a Bluetooth security code. Once it’s paired, you can enable and disable the wireless connection using the big, glowy NVIDIA logo button. When enabled, the entire display of SHIELD is simply mirrored to the TV and all audio is output through the TV as well. You can use this to show video, audio, web sites or any Android application on a big screen.

The problem with Miracast is pretty obvious though if you watch the video above. The input latency seen while gaming simply makes the experience unbearable – even some pretty low precision Android games felt like they were moving through maple syrup while trying to playing them while looking at the TV.

To NVIDIA’s credit, they do point out this flaw with Miracast in the documentation and claim they are working with company to improve latency in the future.

Membrane makes a lot of sense. There are only a handful of mechanical gamepad switches that I am aware of... a knockoff ALPS switch for some Guitar Hero strum-bars and some arcade sticks (well, buttons on the arcade stick... not the stick itself).

Apparently Razer makes at least one mouse with mechanical buttons... which also surprises me... but meh.

A little too early for this device. Should have done this with Logan on board. Would have made much more sense allowing games to run on processors that don't have the thermal constraints they might have on a thinner form-factor.

personally i don't think there is too early or too late with this device. yes it meant for gaming (android and pc) but the very purpose of this device is to showcase the capabilities of nvidia tegra processors and other nvidia tech at the same time (for example the pc gaming stream feature is something related to their GRID technology, so actually it giving the glimpse to the public and developer what Geforce GRID should like given the internet network is not an issue). also this device will not compete with the likes of of PS Vita/3DS or even other android console like many like to believe. it has the capabilities in terms of performance but what nvidia want the most i believe is for those company to use their chip instead competing directly with them.

Support for gaming related stuff in Android means that better games can be built. It doesn't have to compete with any product. If they were able to get the Logan GPU to support this, then it would make the Shield an interesting product. Right now, I still can't see who is it going to be good for. Being a niche product is good and all, but the niche itself is too small. nVidia will have to eat the costs like Microsoft did with RT. This stinks of desperation. This will remain a proof of concept until the 20nm chips are released.

ROFL...It was only 10mil to dev. They are already sold out. No idea how many they made but I'm guessing it was at least 100K run which means they already broke even (assuming 100/device, based on BOM of Vita $159 and 3DS $100.71). This can't cost more than $200 vs. those two so they are making $100 easily IMHO. If they sell 100K they are at 10mil which is the cost to dev this thing.

I wish Ryan would have told if there is any difference when say, setting up the HDMI out to TV (is quality any different than over miracast??). I'd like to know that as this is a feature I'd want to use (a portable roku/bluray replacement etc).

20nm will be better but it has no effect on it's ability to play games now. Clearly it does the job already and the list of PC streaming games will only grow all the way to xmas and into next year when they surely put out a kepler 20nm rev.

I'm guessing by xmas this will add 100mil to their bottom line. I can't see how they won't sell 1mil+ of these considering 65% of us own NV gpus and they are already sold out. Did they already sell 1mil? Who knows. I suspect we'll see a price drop by xmas to $250 or so, so they can nix some xbox1/ps4 sales and possibly sell even more discrete cards because of it. Then do it all again for every soc release...LOL. Each year making a console sale even harder to fathom.

I think AMD will rue the day they signed up for SINGLE digit margins, with only barely into double digits as the process matures. So if AMD is lucky they'll make 100mil in the next year (of course that isn't profit for quite a while, as they had to dev both sony/ms chips - what was that cost? I've guessing far more than 10mil for shield), while shield will probably hit that in a few months by xmas and only get better stealing from console sales. AMD made a mistake. If margins on those were say 20% from the get go and moving to 35% over the 8yrs or something, then it would have been a great deal. But single digits moving to double sucks. Realizing they have about 6 consoles coming to compete makes AMD's move even worse and NV's low risk 10mil go at it a NO RISK device. Google/Apple both have consoles coming, madcatz, ouya, shield, wikipad, gamepop etc. There is a lot of people after MS/Sony/Nin and wiiu is already off 50% after xmas. Sales of it and Vita are awful at best. I expect the same after xmas for MS/Sony. Only the 3DS escaped the same fate because of selling before phones/tablets really took off on gaming. Now Vita/3DS are useless and Vita is seeing this (which is the better device of the two BTW...Again showing they're dead).

Finally I think we get to wave goodbye to stuck in stone for 8yrs consoles :) YAY.

Nobody special, I could not agree more. Jen-Hsun Huang is my new product development hero. I've been a product developer (in other fields) for many years, and have nothing but admiration for how quickly, beautifully and profitably (I must guess at the last, but the sell out is a great sign) they conceived and executed project Shield. If, as I think, this is their first full-on consumer device, it's amazing to me how glitch-free and smooth the experience seems to be, from the reviews I've read. We should also bear in mind that this is the kind of thing nVidia MUST do if it's going to maintain high margins -- because supplying processors for Nexus devices or gaming consoles, both of which are sold at break-even, can never pay the bills. I read a fascinating article on the nVidia b,of called "How Shield was Built" and am preparing an article of my own in which I speculate on the marketing reasons that drove the development process. It's tempting to think of this as a reaction to the OUYA, but I kind f doubt even nVidia could have turned around a product so polished that quickly. I agree with the comment that Logan would have provided an even better experience, but you gotta start somewhere, I think nVidia wants to dominate mobile gaming -- I agree that Android and iOs are where it will happen -- and think nVidia is off to a roaring start. Making the screen detachable seems to me to be the next big hurdle, but I doubt we'll see that until Shield 3.

flop or not it's not that nvidia expect to make tons of profit with this device. and nvidia will not be stupid enough to price Shield so low just so they can sell the unit and making the mistake by competing with another android console maker directly

Microsoft did the same trick the with the Surface RT, they severely limited initial supply to only 1-3 units per entire store for the first 2 months and claimed what a wild success RT was always being "sold out".

I never thought RT would sell with a 1.3ghz vs. what should have been in there 1.7gh T3+. I do believe shield will sell out of first production and probably second. Don't forget it is far better than vita/3ds power wise, plays movies out to tv via hdmi on the go, plays all android stuff, etc etc...Titan still is pretty much selling every chip they make. The first run was 100K and sold out in hours. There are MILLIONS of 600 series owners and adding 700 series owners daily. All of these are candidates for this device. Considering the power (and the power of nearly all phones next year being about T4 level), devs will start aiming FAR above Vita/3DS on android. Android gaming will kill these 2 devices shortly, so their entire audience will be looking at android (they are already) instead of vita/3ds which devs are abandoning according to GDC2013 survey. When less than 3% of 2500 Devs are planning a game for your device and 60% are planning mobile games you're dead.

NV hasn't said they are sold out. It's just an observation at newegg gamestop, microcenter (found one in stock in houston) etc. On NV's site says 2-3weeks will ship, but on newegg says back in stock 8/5 supposedly. Until I see evidence of them NOT selling well, I think they'll do ok. This device has way too many things over Vita/3ds to be a failure and consoles are 3 months off giving it plenty of time to sell before xmas. We will know in 3 months. I haven't seen a bad review yet either. 8/10 of the buyers on newegg are verified owners (so they bought there). I'm surprised anyone took the time 1 day after it went on sale. I'll wait for the Kepler model next year (have to purchase maxwell first anyway...LOL) but this thing will sell regardless, and in enough quantity to make NV some decent cash and further push us to mobile gaming on gamepads (which is the point, get us off consoles, thus using more of NV's stuff).

There are a lot of things we don't even know about when it comes to the Shield. Very basic gamer things; how many times the controller reports inputs, what types of switches it uses, or even the commitment to long term software and hardware support.

Before the Shield, *all* controllers for Android have sported a loathsome report rate of once per frame, with an actual average of once every three frames. This is completely unacceptable for gaming purposes, and I'm not going to trust anyone's review on how responsive it "feels." I want hard numbers, and Nvidia is tight lipped as ever.

Throughout the entire process of the Shield, from project to final product, we have not been able to see anything about the inner workings of this device. We have no idea what sensors are being used for the analog sticks, or how long they'll remain accurate. We have no confirmed information about what switch types are used for the buttons. We don't even know how the directional pad compares to the timeless Sega Saturn directional pad. You know, things gamers care about.

And finally there's the massive bugbear of how long Nvidia will offer support for the operating system. If it is anything like other Android devices, you'll get three or four updates in the first six months for the operating system, and then it'll be forgotten to the ages, while the 3DS and Vita will have support from their respective companies for years to come. I still get updates for the DSi, a five year old system. I'd wager that the Shield will never get 4.3 Jelly Bean update.

My Maxwell card comes first. At which point I think rev2 will be out. So no point in rev1 for me as I want to stream my PC's maxwell. I currently have a radeon 5850. So a good chunk of this things use is not usable by me.

That is not a lame excuse. It's reality. If I own an NV card I would have bitten already, then handed it to my nephew when rev2 comes along by june next year.

Likely developed as in in house remote terminal for an Nvidia GPU/GRID equipped Steam Box, where it would actually make sense, it's release into the wild indicates Nvidia ultimately lost out to AMD to provide that hardware, probably due to publisher/developer pressure to go with a more console compatible solution, an AMD HSA APU that they could port to easily and cheaply.

If it is AMD HSA APU based, and is supposed to be upgradable, then I would guess Kaveri + Sea Islands GPU. Though Steam Box is to be part of a larger Linux based ecosystem, whatever is in Steam Box will become the default hardware of choice for that ecosystem as Steam Box game ports will target that particular hardware. The beauty of HSA based APUs is future iterations will retain nearly complete hardware compatibility, so HSA based Steam Box game ports will be fully hardware compatible with future AMD HSA based APUs and GPUs. Not only makes the publishers and developers job very very easy, but moves them substantially toward their nirvana, a single future proof PC hardware standard to port to, so it would actually be in their interests to, over time, not only heavily optimize their ports for AMD HSA based hardware, but specifically NOT optimize their ports for Intel or Nvidia hardware. Death by (not so) benign neglect as it were ... at the very least make Intel and Nvidia foot nearly the entirety of whatever optimizations do occur.

As for timing ... if the above is the case it is unlikely Steam Box will arrive before Kaveri is available to meet that larger ecosystem demand, and as recent reports indicate Kaveri is delayed into early 2014, I would expect Steam Box to arrive sometime after ... say E3, 2014 ... they'd have the new console reveal center stage spotlight all to themselves and the time to get a healthy selection of their Linux based game and application ports ready to go. It would be hard to imagine a launch scenario better geared to ensure the success of Steam Box.

Several months ago a leaked (and quickly pulled) AMD developer PDF showed up on Semi-Accurate forums showing Kaveri with some 2014 roadmap 'system integration' features. Makes sense as Kaveri was on the same engineering/fabrication timeline as the custom console APUs, so it's logical, and likely, knowing exactly what was going into both console processors, AMD simultaneously optimised Kaveri's architecture based on that knowledge and pulled some 2014 GPU/context switching HSA elements into Kaveri and making sure Sea Islands was system integration ready. They would want all the HSA elements pertinent to porting to and from console games and future proofing fully in place with Kaveri. Kaveri's delay might be related to such optimizations along with sharing console APU fabrication lines creating capacity issues. If Kaveri is delayed into 2014, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 'soft' launch for Kaveri during the holiday season to put review site next gen game performance numbers on prospective buyers radar. If those If those gaming performance numbers on next gen games blow away the Intel/Nvidia competition on cost/performance like I think they will, it would be well worth AMD taking a 'soft launch' PR hit.

Such an optimised Kaveri would be utterly ideal for an upgradable, future proofed Steam Box and it's associated third party ecosystem. It was pretty obvious at CES Gabe was intending an Intel/Nvidia solution for Steam Box, but he also stated developer support was 'critical' to the success of Steam Box. This was before confirmation of AMD APUs for both consoles. Valve said they were there mainly to liaise behind closed doors with software and hardware vendors. I'm guessing Gabe was in for quite a surprise when he saw the reaction when he then, and subsequently, approached the major game publishers and developers, already in deep liaison with AMD and months and eyebrows deep into optimizing their game engines and toolsets specifically for AMD hardware in general and HSA APUs/GPUs in particular, and who already knew Kaveri was going to be super compatible with the console APUs, with an Intel/Nvidia based Steam Box solution.

Note that these same factors will also make future AMD HSA APUs the overwhelming choice for future Sony and Microsoft console iterations as there will be built in software/hardware compatibility and almost no associated development costs. No reason a fully hardware backward compatible/4k capable Xbox One or PS4 'Turbo' edition couldn't be released in three or four years.

I think given his druthers, Gabe would still prefer an Intel/Nvidia solution, particularly in light of his stated desire for Steam Box to have a 'multiple simultaneous game streaming' capability (GRID), to remote in-house terminals (Shield). It's worth noting that concurrent with the PS4 reveal an AMD spokesperson pointed out the PS4 APU was capable of multiple game streams and AMD was well along with their own GRID like game and application streaming solution.

While in his latest public appearance on YouTube Gabe is basically shilling for Intel CPUs, it's likely it just isn't economically/publisher/developer/Steam Box success feasible to go with anything but an AMD HSA APU solution.

I agree with a few of your buried points: I do not think people appreciate what seems to be right around the corner. Virtualized GPUs allowing Linux users to run Windows applications at full speed and, probably more importantly, purchase one "beefy computer" and have all the rest of your tablets/handhelds/netbooks/laptops/HTPCs/whatever simply stream in video (and stream out keyboard/mouse/gamepad input) from that one PC.

PS the first Shield may indeed be strictly for fanboys, but even if so, said Fanboys are plentiful enough to fund the development cost. Bear in mind that, as Tim Stevens observed at CES, this is also AN INVESTMENT IN ANDROID GAMING. Logan is plainly built for powerful gaming, and nVidia wants to prime the pump for it, getting Devs excited about Android as a platform for serious gaming.

XBMC is a great program as a home theater program. I use the SkystreamX to run XBMC on my TV. It comes preloaded with all of the good add ons. I didn't have to spend hours programming it. I just plugged it in, hooked it up to my internet and starting watching all of my favorite TV shows, Movies and live sports. It also turns your TV into a smart TV with over 800,000 Android Apps. I highly recommend this Android TV Box

They would want all the HSA elements pertinent to porting to and from console games and future proofing fully in place with Kaveri. Kaveri's delay might be related to such optimizations along with sharing console APU fabrication lines creating capacity issues. If Kaveri is delayed into 2014, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 'soft' launch for Kaveri during the holiday season to put review site next gen game performance numbers on prospective buyers radar and more that No reason a fully hardware backward compatible/4k capable Xbox One or PS4 'Turbo' edition couldn't be released in three or four years.Android Box TV

Nothing really better than the G-Box MX2 in my opinion. Plays games and does XBMC like nothing else out there. I found it at this android xbmc website. I would steer clear of the fakes out there like the Skystream box and other chinese brands. They dont have any support and you can forget about them about as quickly as buy them. Ouya is also not too bad at XBMC but overall. I'd just grab the G-Box and call it a day.